FUTURELIGHT vs Gore-Tex: How The North Face's Membrane Compares

If you have looked at The North Face's higher-end waterproofs, you have met FUTURELIGHT, the membrane the brand built to take on Gore-Tex. So how does FUTURELIGHT vs Gore-Tex actually shake out? Both keep the rain out completely. The real difference is how they breathe, and understanding that one point tells you which shell belongs on your back. Here is how the two compare, with Gore-Tex as the benchmark everything else is measured against.

The short answer

Gore-Tex is the long-established benchmark: waterproof, highly breathable and proven over decades. FUTURELIGHT is The North Face's answer to it, and its party trick is that the membrane is air-permeable, meaning air can actually pass through it rather than only water vapour. That makes FUTURELIGHT shells feel especially free-breathing when you are working hard, which is exactly where a waterproof usually starts to feel clammy. Gore-Tex counters with a longer track record, more constructions to choose from and availability across far more brands. Neither is simply better. They suit different days.

How Gore-Tex works

Gore-Tex is a microporous ePTFE membrane. It is packed with billions of pores that are far too small for a rain droplet to push through, but large enough to let sweat vapour escape. It always comes with taped seams and strict testing, and it is made in versions tuned to different uses, from hard-wearing Pro to lightweight, packable Paclite. Its reputation rests on breathability and how well it lasts, which is why it sits at the premium end and why so many brands license it. We go deeper on the wider membrane picture in our DryVent vs Gore-Tex guide.

How FUTURELIGHT works

FUTURELIGHT is made by a nanospinning process that lays down incredibly fine fibres, creating a membrane with tiny air gaps running through it. The result, in The North Face's own words on these jackets, is a seam-sealed shell that is waterproof, windproof and air permeable, allowing more airflow than a conventional non-porous barrier. In plain terms, instead of only pushing vapour through solid pores, the fabric lets a little air move through it, so heat and moisture clear faster when your body is producing them quickly.

On the jackets we stock, that membrane is built as a three-layer construction with a soft, lightly stretching recycled face and a knit backer, which makes it comfortable worn over a base layer or light fleece. The The North Face Dryzzle Futurelight adds pit zips and packs into its own chest pocket, while the top-tier Summit Torre Egger uses lighter FUTURELIGHT panels at the hood, underarms and back for high-alpine climbing. Both illustrate the same idea: a waterproof that is trying hard not to trap your heat.

One point that trips people up: air-permeable does not mean draughty. FUTURELIGHT is still windproof, as the product descriptions state. The airflow happens at a microscopic level to help heat and moisture escape, not enough to let a cold wind cut through. You get the venting benefit without standing there shivering on an exposed ridge.

FUTURELIGHT vs Gore-Tex, head to head

Breathability. This is FUTURELIGHT's home turf. An air-permeable membrane clears heat more readily during sustained aerobic effort, so a FUTURELIGHT shell tends to feel less clammy on a steep, sweaty climb. Gore-Tex is very breathable too, especially the Active and Pro grades, but it works by moving vapour rather than air.

Waterproofing. A tie. Both are fully waterproof, seam-sealed membranes, not water-resistant coatings. If the seams are taped and the outer fabric's water-repellent finish is maintained, both keep you dry in sustained rain.

Durability and track record. Gore-Tex's advantage. It has decades of proven longevity behind it and a huge installed base. FUTURELIGHT is newer, and while it performs strongly, it simply has not been in the field as long.

Feel and weight. FUTURELIGHT's stretchy, soft-backed fabric is pleasant against active layers and packs down well. Gore-Tex ranges from stiff and burly (Pro) to feathery (Paclite), so it depends which grade you pick.

Choice. Gore-Tex, comfortably. Because it is licensed widely, you will find it across many brands, jackets, footwear and gloves. FUTURELIGHT is The North Face only.

Gore-Tex vs FUTURELIGHT at a glance

So which should you choose?

Choose FUTURELIGHT if you run hot and move fast: fast hiking, scrambling, alpine days, anything where you climb hard and want the shell to shed heat as quickly as it sheds rain. Its air-permeable membrane is built for exactly that.

Choose Gore-Tex if you want the proven all-rounder with the widest choice of jackets and grades, or if long-term durability is your priority. It is the benchmark for good reason and it will not let you down.

And if neither is quite your use case, the other membranes fill in around them. The North Face's everyday DryVent and Columbia's Omni-Tech cover general wet-weather wear at a friendlier price. Whichever you pick, the waterproof rating and taped seams matter as much as the membrane name, which we break down in waterproof ratings explained. Not sure where to start? Our full guide to choosing a waterproof jacket walks through the whole decision.

How the membranes compare at a glance

Here is the full range side by side, so you can place FUTURELIGHT against the alternatives without leaving this page.

The one figure there, the 10,000mm on Ventron, is a hydrostatic head rating: the water pressure a fabric holds back before it lets moisture through. We explain the whole scale in waterproof ratings explained. For a closer look at any one, see our guides to DryVent, Omni-Tech and Ventron.

There is one thing neither membrane can do on its own: breathe through a dirty, wetted-out outer. When the water-repellent finish on the face fabric wears off, that fabric soaks up water and breathability drops sharply, on Gore-Tex and FUTURELIGHT alike. A wash and reproof restores it, and it is the single cheapest way to keep either shell performing like new rather than blaming the membrane.